Federal buildings take starring roles, raise money

Aug. 22, 2013 - 06:00AM
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The Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House in New York is featured in 'How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days' (2003) and 'Black Swan' (2010). (Carol Highsmith / gsa.gov)

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The General Services Administration has raised $500,000 over the last three years by renting out federal buildings to be used on television shows and movies, according to a blog post Thursday.

Most recently, the agency rented out the Baltimore U.S. Custom House for the filming of the Netflix series “House of Cards” starring Kevin Spacey.

GSA spokesman Matthew Burrell wrote that the film industry pays for a license to use the federal property and must pay for staff and utilities as well.

Other GSA buildings featured in cinema include:

■ The Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House in New York, which was featured in “How to Lose a Guy in 10 days” and “Black Swan.”

■ The Chicago Federal Center building is featured in “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.”

■ The Ariel Rios Federal Building in Washington was shown frequently on the television series “The West Wing.”

“Next time you grab a bucket of popcorn to watch a motion picture, pay close attention, our nation’s federal buildings are probably playing a major role. GSA will continue to find creative ways to save taxpayer dollars by leveraging its federal assets,” Burrell said.